Loading...Sermon December 13, 2015
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice.
Philippians 4:4
Please be seated.
Our relationship with God develops and changes throughout our lifetime. In my mid-40s, I had a significant shift in how I began to live my life. Yes, I was connected to God and to a faith community; however, I began to listen to what was happening in my life and to what needed to happen in an entirely different way.
One of the things I learned was to slow down and have some quiet time with God. I also started to see that my “take charge and jump into action” way of living wasn’t always the best thing. You see, when I felt anxious about something in my life – my family or my career – I though taking action would stop the anxiety. Instead, it seemed to make things more chaotic.
I learned to wait. I learned to listen for God’s leading. I learned to take action only when I felt great peace, after I had worked through all of the anxiety.
In 2002, I knew I was ready to take the next step in my career. I needed to move on to something different. It took four years until I finally found my next job and moved to Washington, DC. At times I felt so frustrated. I wanted a quick answer and I was feeling tired in my job and wanted to quickly move on.
Yet, the path had many twists and turns. It was a slow process. I’m an organizer and a planner, so this long, circuitous journey nearly drove me crazy. I’d find myself in conversations with God…in prayer…in quiet. I’d feel such anxiety and such eagerness to move on to the next part of my career. Maybe I was even arguing with God. I certainly know I was pleading.
Often I’d be lying down on a rug on the floor and I’d feel like God was PULLING me down, down, down, deep to the floor, prostrate almost into the ground. I felt like God had taken my guts and pulled them down. I felt like I could not even get up. Whatever I’d been pleading about…whatever bargaining I was in the midst of…I knew in those moments that my deepest desire was to do God’s Will, whatever that was.
I was back on the path and I learned that God only gave me the next step. All I could do was the next step and I needed to do that to the best of my ability. I needed to let go of what it might look like down the road…just do the next step and be guided to the next step.
Today is Gaudete Sunday in Advent. We lit the rose candle. It is the Sunday of joy and of rejoicing.
We heard part of Paul’s letter to the people in Philippi. It is believed that Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter. He might have known death was coming. Yet, instead of bemoaning his fate, Paul speaks of joy and rejoicing throughout the letter.
Doesn’t that seem odd? Who of us would be feeling joy or rejoicing if we were confined and facing our death?
When I looked into the Greek for the word “rejoice,” as used by Paul, I discovered it means “to delight in God’s grace.” //biblehub.com/greek/5463.htm We tend to believe rejoicing comes when we’re happy; yet, there is another understanding of rejoicing. It is the rejoicing and I’d say, the peace, we feel when we know we’re doing God’s Will. It’s the peace we feel, no matter what is happening around us…the peace we feel in the whirlwind, so to speak…because at the core of our very being, we know God is gracious and merciful. We know we can count on God’s grace.
So, rejoicing looks like being pulled to the ground in submission to God’s Will. Rejoicing looks like peace midst great sorrow and suffering. We may be sobbing. We may be grieving deeply for the losses in our lives. We may be in tremendous pain. We may feel much fear about what’s happening in our world with the climate and with terrorism.Yet, deep inside we also feel peace. It’s a peace that passes our human understanding.
This time of year can be stressful and difficult for so many of us. There are parties and family gatherings, which aren’t always easy. Sometimes we feel the absence of family more acutely. We may be going through the first season without a loved one. And the days are short, with less sunlight, which affects us emotionally.
My prayer is that in the midst of all of this…we can find that deep place in our souls of rejoicing…of delighting in God’s grace…of trusting that “God with us,” Emanuel, will come and is coming.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say Rejoice.
Amen
